Endangered Encounters

My mom and I at the trail head

I recently went hiking with my Mom in Bruce Peninsula National Park.
We had a great time!
We hiked in from the Crane Lake Rd. entrance and spent the night at one of their interior sites at High Dump. The hike in took us a little under 2 1/2 hours and was fairly easy. The hike is described as Moderate-Difficult but for the most part I found the terrain rather easy. For the most part it seemed like we were following an old ATV track and were able to walk side by side. There was only one steep section at the end of the trail, and if it wasn't for my heavy backpack I think I could have probably done the trail in flip flops. It is definitely a great location for a beginning hiker who wants a gentle introduction into backcountry camping.

Bruce Peninsula National Park is gorgeous and Georgian bay was nicely warmed up for a refreshing swim, while still being cool enough for a refreshing drink of water.

The View from our Beach

 We even had an interesting visitor along the path to our site. While we were walking I heard a strange rattling sound that sounded somewhere between a very loud cicada and an angry chipmunk. I was just about to comment on it when I looked down and saw this guy.

Massasauga Rattlesnake: Sistrurus catenatus

Yep a Massasauga Rattler, the only poisonous snake in Ontario happens to have a thriving population in Bruce Peninsula National Park. Since this was my first encounter with one of these gorgeous beauties I wasn't 100% sure of it's identity but a little research when I got home definitely confirmed it. Massasauga's may be Ontario's only venomous snake but there really isn't anything to worry about these precious creatures. They warn you with their rattle if they feel you are too close and then if you give them some space they slowly slink away - just at the right speed to allow you to catch a few glamour shots of these magnificent creatures.
The Massasauga is listed as a Threatened species under the Ontario Endangered Species Act with its main threats coming from habitat fragmentation, road mortality and human persecution. However during our short trip my mother and I saw 3 Massasauga's so at least the local population within the park seems to be doing well. I always find it fascinating and consider myself to be quite fortunate when I get to see a rare or threatened species. We truly had nothing to fear from these gentle beauties and I am glad I got to see 3 of them up close. However my mom was a bit more timid of these creatures (probably because she can't hear their warning rattle) and had me on the lookout for her.

Mom, hiking

In all I had a great time. I saw amazing creatures, I enjoyed a good hike, I enjoyed a good trip and I enjoyed having some time with just me and my Mom. I definitely plan on doing it again!

Contrasts

My Dad often reads the news online, I often read over his shoulder.
In a newspaper articles are separated by topic. Sports, Entertainment, world events, local events etc. are all given their own section in a news paper. The sections themselves are like tiny separate newspapers and you can choose which news to read. Online news is entirely different in that sense, although articles are still sorted they all appear on one browser page.

There is something surreal about having all your news on one browser page.

Sometimes the contrasts are convicting.

Like today for example:

An article for a new Doughnut cheeseburger and an article about the famine in Somalia appeared close together.
I already feel guilty for needing to spend time in the gym several days a week just to prevent too much of my food from sticking to my stomach and thighs. All the while knowing there are people struggling to receive enough calories to survive.
Items like the Doughnut cheeseburger or KFC's Double Down disgust me. No one in North America needs that amount of calories in one meal. Nor do either of these food items provide any real nutritional or taste benefit. (I have heard the Double Down is gross, and assume the doughnut cheeseburger would be similarly so.) These items only exist as a novelty- a "hey look at this disgustingly unhealthy thing I am eating" sort of food. They scream of a culture that has forgotten how incredible of a blessing it is to actually have our daily bread.

I'm not saying that we can't enjoy the occasional ridiculously unhealthy high calorie meal, or that we should try and ship a bunch of Doughnut cheeseburgers or Double Downs to Somalia. I am just saying that perhaps we should be more intentional and grateful for the food on our plates. Bon Appétit!

Ponderings

Repetitive tasks, although mind numbing always provide a good opportunity to think and plan. They provide you with an opportunity to turn off your brain and focus it on something for awhile. I do some of my best thinking while driving. Often while driving down the freeway belting out the lyrics to whatever song I am listening to at the time I will contemplate what I am doing, where I want my life to go, what steps I will take to start a career or how develop more meaningful relationships.

The other day while kayaking I spent the better part of an hour thinking about kayaking across Lake Huron to raise money for coastal conservation. I thought about the training I would need to do, the people I would need to get involved, how I would raise funds and involve the community. For the most part this one was just wild speculation, aside from the actual paddling I lack many of the skills required to make such a venture possible. Although if someone would be willing to do all the planning and organizing and behind the scenes stuff I would be willing to train to do the actual paddle.

Another thing I frequently ponder about is my desire to work for a Christian conservation group called A Rocha. I previously spent a summer interning there and loved the work and what the organization did. However their regular employees fundraise their wages much the same as missionaries.With my large student loans and limited networking abilities I am not sure that would go over well. Also I would have to be certain that my skills were actually required by their organization. I have actually spent entire days going over scenarios and thinking of ways to make it work. Could I get a part-time job so that my fundraising needs wouldn't be so much? Could I stay in my home area and do work for A Rocha here, perhaps partnering with local organization. I often find myself contemplating and thinking.... maybe someday.....

Other things I regularly ponder are things such as :

• my living situation
• my relationships with friends, and my lack of romantic relationships
• where, when and if to apply to grad school- potential advisors and schools
• my family life
• random academicy/ current events issues that get me riled up and thinking (often these turn into blog posts, stay tuned I am working on a few right now)

Before I send out a resume for any job I often do alot of pondering. What are the employers looking for in a potential employee? Do I have the right skills for the job? Do I want the job? Where is the job and what will I be doing? Where will I live or go to church?  Often the background thinking required before I even start my cover-letter or resumé can paralyze me into not applying for a potential position.

Thinking and pondering can be good- a good way to make decisions, way pros and cons etc. However when the pondering becomes paralyzing that is when you need to take a step forward and remember to be a person of action. Thinking of exercising and dieting does not help you loose weight if you don't actually follow through. Similarly I need to learn to not just think about certain things but to take some tentative steps to see if some of my dreams can actually become reality.

Charming Children

I am not exceptionally great with children, but I must admit that at times spending some time with children can be therapeutic. I remember in university my one of the girls in my apartment regularly babysat her nephew. It really was a win-win situation for her sister-in-law and for us. She got some time to herself to do errands, go out or to sleep. We in turn to to spend time with a precious toddler. In university you really are forced into this unnatural atmosphere where almost everyone is around the same age. We came to the conclusion that every dorm should have an adopted baby/child and a set of adopted grandparents. Also they should be able to have a pet. Unfortunately university administrations fail to see how this would improve the campus atmosphere. Sigh.

I recently spent some time with some adorable children.
I know it has been said many times before but kids really do say the cutest things!
Fortunately I had a pen and paper nearby and copied this conversation down, I found it quite funny.

Kid #1: I can speak French (we had been speaking a bit of French because one of the children attended French immersion school and was really fluent.)
Kid #2: No you can't
Kid #1: I can too!!
Kid #2: You don't know every word in French
Kid #1: Of course not! I am not a mathematician!!

I really would have liked to know what Kid #2 would have said in response, however I had to step in at this point. Tired kids get cranky fast and it is best to nip such confrontations in the bud before they escalate and someone's feelings get hurt.

The children were also curious about a person with disabilities that they had seen. The person in question had a developmental disability and though clearly an adult was hanging out with kids and acting like one. I explained to the kids that because of her disability this woman would never fully grow up like other adults. This idea intrigued them and one of the kids said: "I think she is lucky because that means that she gets to be a kid forever." I thought this perspective was fresh and interesting, whereas most people would choose to pity this young women, with one comment these children envied her.